One gets it done

BOB ETTINGER
Star Beacon

May 14, 2008 03:35 am

— SAYBROOK TOWNSHIP — Lakeside softball coach Kerri Weir doesn’t like when her team sits back waits for things to happen and Mallory Zappitelli and Maddie Messner set the perfect example as to why that is in a 1-0 win over Austintown-Fitch on Tuesday in a Division I sectional championship game at Lakeside.
The second-seeded Dragons (13-5, 7-2 in the Premier Athletic Conference), who have now won two straight sectional titles, will play fifth-seeded Mayfield, an 11-1 winner against Euclid on Tuesday, in a district semifinal Monday at Boardman.
Zappitelli smacked a single through the hole on the left side to lead off the home half of the fourth with Lakeside’s first hit.
“I had no idea (we hadn’t gotten a hit yet),” Zappitelli said. “I knew pretty much nobody was hitting and I had to get it started somehow.”
Zappitelli took second on a wild pitch and Christina Hutchison followed with a walk. Miranda Newsome then hit a ground ball up the middle that resulted in an error by the Falcons’ second basemen. Zappitelli, standing on third when the ball squirted away, scored on the play.
“I was at third and (Coach Weir) said to go, so I went,” Zappitelli said. “Once she said to go, I looked and the ball got past the second baseman so I knew I could score.”
“She is at the top in runs scored for us and she might be double the closest person,” Weir said. “She’s fast. She’s capable of getting and she can hurt you when she does.
“I honestly didn’t think one run would win the game. “It was 0-0 in the fourth, we had to think aggressive. She was standing at third and I saw the ball skip away. There was no hesitation (to send her).”
After a pair of strikeouts, Brittany Morrison loaded the bases with a single through the hole on the left side, but Austintown-Fitch pitcher Emily Purnell recorded her third strikeout of the inning to end the threat.
Hutchison (12-4) struck out 10, allowed two hits, walked a pair, hit a batter and, with the help of a flawless defense, did not allow a run.
“I struggled at the beginning, but once I started throwing strikes, it came back to me,” Hutchison said. “(The defense) helped a lot. We won as a team. Maddie made a great catch. That was big. When they hit the ball, we made plays and threat kept the team up hitting-wise.
“I was mainly throwing the fastball, riseball and changeup. The changeup was crucial.”
The Falcons (10-11) threatened in the top of the sixth after leadoff batter Stephanie Berdis singled, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Katie O’Laughlin and took third on a wild pitch. Hutchison, however, struck out the next two batters to end the inning.
After Hutchison induced a groundout to start the seventh, Messner, a junior, made a diving catch while running in on a sinking liner to right-center to keep the Falcons’ from getting a runner into scoring position.
“I didn’t see it off the bat,” Messner said. “(First baseman) Brittany (Morrison) was in the way. She’s always right in line with the batter. After I saw it, I wasn’t going to let it drop. I didn’t really think I was going to get there.
“I didn’t think it was that far in. When I started getting closer I realized it was further in than I had thought it was, then I sprinted. It wasn’t easy, but my speed paid off. I wasn’t expecting to catch it, but I’m glad I was able to hold on. It almost popped out (of my glove), but I held on and held it up so they could see I had it.”
The catch was exactly what Weir is looking for when she was talks about making things happen.
“We have a tendency to take an early lead and then sit back and wait for things to happen,” Weir said. “We talked about going and making things happen instead of waiting for them to happen. We did that today.”
The game ended a batter later on a flyout to right Messner in right.
“They watched us play,” Weir said. “They knew what pitches Hutchison throws and what pitches to throw to my batters. All of that aside, We came through. This was one of the best games we played all year.”
Austintown-Fitch coach Melody Rice refused comment following the loss.

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